Centrifugal casting apparatus



April 7, 1942. w. s. MYERS I CENTRIFUGAL CASTING APPARATUS Filed July 26, 1941 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 HTTOENE) WITNESS W. S. MYERS April 7, 1942.

CENTRIFUGAL CASTING APPARATUS 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed July 26, 1941 INVENTOR Wa/Zfef 57%67101 I V Patented Apr. 1942 UNITED STATES 2,218,555 csn'rmrvcar. cas'rmc APPARATUS Waltcr s. Myers, North si'gnor to United States Pipe and pany, a corporation of New Jersey Merchantville, N; 1., as-

Foundry Com- Application. July 26, 1941, Serial'No. 404,171

' Claims.

The invention relates to centrifugal casting apparatus and is directed specifically to an improvement in means for adjusting the rollers which supportthe rotary mold'in the waterbox surface of the mold, or for varying such alignment. A further object. of the invention is the .provision of roller-adjusting means which may be employed for providing an end thrust upon the mold, or for varying the end thrust as desired. A still further object of the invention is the provision of means which is'op'erable from the exterior of the waterbox for aligning the surfaces of the mold-supporting rollers with respect to the outer surfaceof the mold, or for varying such alignment. Still further objects and advantages of the improvement will be apparent from the following specification, takenwith the accompanying drawings wherein:

Fig. 1 is a transverse sectional the water box and mold of centrifugal casting apparatus showing my improved roller supporting and adjusting mechanism incorporated therein; i

view, partly in section, showof such apparatus. 5 Fig. 2 is a plan In centrifugal casting apparatus employed for ing one set of roller supporting and adjusting casting pipe and the like, rollers are commonly means, the water box being partly cut away and utilized in the water box of such apparatus. with the mold being shown in dott d lin s; their faces in contact with the outer surface of Fig. 3 is a plan view, partly in section, showthemold for supporting it in its rotational move la ing details of the locking means for holding the ment. It is also well known in such apparatus 7 rollers in various positions of adjustment toward to have means for adjusting the rollers toward and away from the axis of the water box; and away from the center line of the water box; Fig. 4 is a side elevational view, partly in secfor the purpose of fixing the position in the water tion, Sh in he m n in .Wh h roller box in which it is desired to have the mold ,ro- '15 fr me i support d upon its bearing pi and tate. In some of the apparatus heretofore used Fig. 5 is a'view similar in Par to that Shown.

the adjusting means for .the mold-supporting l but taken at rig t orollers is not accessible outside the water box. and As lus r ed in the drawin h improveit i necessary to remove the top of the water ment is disclosed in connection with a mold l0 box ln'order that adjustments of the rollers may which is mounted for rotation on rollers H in a be efiected. In other known apparatus, certain water box t2, t e apparatus ing of a typ adjustments of the rollers arev possible from the which is commonly used in eentrifllgally cflstihg outside of the water box, but all desired ad-- pip n other l r b It w be rjustments can not be effected- Irrespective of the steed hat the rollers H and the supportin n particular means heretofore employed for adjust-. 5 adjusting means therefor, as described herein, ing the moldsupporting' rollers bodily toward and are employ d in sets of two. arranged n the away from the axis or center line f the water water box longitudinally of the mold l0, and that box, the surfaces of the rollers, when finally adany number of sets may be used as desired, justed, are frequently out of -'alignment with although two sets will besufficient in most cases. the outer surface of the mold, and no satisfactory It Will e understood further that the p n way has been provided heretofore for aligning the improvement may be utilized in connection with surfaces or the toners with respect to the, outer a in ler ller wh the use of the i pr v surface of the mold, or for varying this allgnroller supporting and adjustin m ans with a ment where it is desired to so cant the rollers as S e roller is e Inasmuch the o to provide an end thrust upon the mold, struction of the supporting and adjusting means One of the primary, objects of the present for all the rollers is the same, a description of invention is the provision, in centrifugal cast- One sllfl ing apparatus, of novel means forsupporting the The rollers ll may be supported upon hearing mold-carrying rollers, and for aligning the urblocks "arranged in pairs as shown in Fig. 2, faces of the rollers with respect t th outer these blocks being secured in the bottom. of the of bolts M passin wall of the water box.

water box l2 by means through the blocks and the The ends of bearing blocks II are provided-with aligned openings l5 to receive the ends of a hearing pin 16 which extends through a bearing sleeve l1 and serves as a bearing for a roller frame ll with whichthe sleeve I1 is integrally formed.

A screw l9 threaded through the sleeve II, with its inner end terminating in a slot 20 inbearing pin l6, permits limited swinging movement of frame I8 about pin 16, but prevents endwise movement of sleeve II on bearing fpin I6.

The roller frame l8 comprises in the upper ends of which two side plates 2| the roller II is suit view through ably mounted, it being understood that'the parts mold III. A cross member 22, extending between angular projections 23 on the side plates 2|, is provided with a slot 24 to receive a locking bolt 25, the inner end of which is threaded to receive a nut 26 in a channel 21 on the inner face of the cross member 22.

The locking bolt 25 extends outwardly through an opening in an adjusting pin 28 and is provided on its outer end with a head 29 by means of which it may be manipulated by the use of a suitable tool. The adjusting pin 28 is threaded through ajsleeve 30 secured in the wall of the water box. The inner end of pin 28 is rounded, as shown at 3|, for engagement with the arcuate outer surface of cross member 22, and its outer .end may be so formed as to receivea suitable manipulating tool. A nut 32 threaded on the adjusting pin 23 may. be utilized for locking the pin 23 in its various positions of adjustment in sleeve 33.

As will be apparent from the structure just described, when the locking bolt 25 is turned in a direction to loosen the nut 26, the roller frame I3 is free to move around the bearing pin I6. 'Turning the adjusting pin 23 in one direction will then operate to move the roller ll inwardly toward the axis of the water box l2, while tuming the adjusting pin 28 in the opposite direction will permit the roller H to move outwardly and downwardly away from the axis of the water box. It will also be apparent that the adjusting pins 23 may be used tocenter the mold III in the water box I! or to vary its position therein, within limits, as may be desired. It will-also be apparent that when the desired adjustments of the rollers ll toward or away from the axis of the water box are effected by means of the ad- Justing pins 23, the adjusting pins 23 may be retained in their adjusted positions by tightening the locking nuts 32, and the frames may be secured against movement around bearing pins l6 by the locking bolts 2'.

, In order to provide a roller support which will permit the alignment of the surface of eachroller to be varied with respect to the surface of the ,mold I I, the opposite ends of the bearing pin I i aresomountedinthealigned openings liinthebearing blocks l3 as to permit independent adiustment of the ends of bearing pin l6 to thereby move the bearing pin into various positions of alignment transversely of the axis of the water box. As disclosed herein, each end of bearing pin I! is mounted in a bushing 33 which is slidably'supp'orted in opening II. As illustrated in Fig. 1 of the drawings, the fit of bushings 33 in the openingsv II is such as to provide movement of these bushings back and forth substantially in a direction parallel with and transversely of the bottom wall'of the water box It.

Each end of bearing pin I I is provided with a transverse opening, to receive the reduced inner end of a coupling member 3! extending outwardly through aligned openings in bushing 33 and bearing block I 3. The inner end of coupling member 38 is secured tobearing pin I 3 by a pivot .pin 33,-cnd the outer end of the coupling member is internally threaded to receive the threaded "inner-end of an adjusting bolt 31. The adjust-- ing bolt 31 utends'outwardlythrough an openins' in a sleevel a'threaded in the wall of the f wsterbox l3. Adjusting bolt 31 is provided with i a thnnt collar]! for engagement with the inner end of sleeve 33, while a nut" secured thereon in contact with the outer end of sleeve 38 serves as means by which it may be turned.

From the structure just described, it will be apparent that when the adjusting bolt 31 is turned in one direction or the other by the ap plication of suitable manipulating means to the nut 40, the threaded construction of the inner end of the bolt 31' in the coupling member 35 will operate to slide the bushing 33 in the bearing block to thereby vary the alignment of bearing pin l6 and the axis of roller H with respect to the axis of the water box II, or the mold l0 sup ported therein. .The ends of sleeve I! are sum ciently spaced from bearing blocks B to permit such movement of pin l6 and bushings 33. This adjusting means may therefore be employed for aligning the surfaces of rollers I I with respect to the surface of the mold I ll after the desired adjustment of the various rollers toward and away from the axis of the water box has been effected. It will also be apparent that the adjustment effected through the adjusting bolts 31 may be employed for canting rollers ll, orvarying their alignment with respect to the mold, to

thereby provide an end thrust for the mold in one direction or the other as may be desired.

As will .be apparent from the above description and the accompanying drawings, the improvement provides means operable from the outside of the water box to adjust the mold supporting rollers bodily for the purpose of fixing the rotative position of the /mold, and also provides means operable from the outside of the water box for varying the alignment of the surfaces of the rollers with respect to the surface of the mold. While a preferred form of apparatus has been discl herein, together with a certain arrangement of the parts thereof, it is to be understood that the invention is not intended to 40 be limited to the precise apparatus and arrangement of parts disclosed. The above descriptionand the accompanying drawings are therefore to be regarded as illustrative only, and it is to be understood that the invention is susceptible of gs other forms and arrangements so long as they come within the scope of the appended claims.

WhatIdesir-etoclaimis: w 1. In apparatus for supporting a centrifugal pipe mold and comprising a roller frame having a pivotal mounting at one end and having its other end adjustable to move a mold-supporting roller thereon about the axis of the pivot of the pivotal mounting, the improvement which com prises adjustable bearings for the opposite ends of said pivotal mounting, and means for adjusting said hearings to vary the alignment of said roller with respect to said mold.

2. In apparatus for supporting a centrifugal pipe mold and comprising a roller frame having a a; pivotal mounting at one end and having its other end adjustable to move a mold-supporting roller thereon about the axis of the pivot of the pivotal mounting, the improvement which comprises an adjus able bearing for said pivotal mounting, and

,3 means for adjusting said bearing to vary the alignment of said roller with respect to said mold.

- 3. In centrifugal casting'apparatus having a cylindrical mold mounted in a water box and 1 rotatably supported upon rollers in the water box, the improvement which comprises means forsupporting each roller with its axis generally parallel to the axis of said water box, adjusting means for moving said roller toward and 76 away from the axis of said water box, and ad- 1 8. In centrifugal casting apparatus having cylindrical mold mounted in a ,water box and rotatably supported upon rollers in the water justingmeans for varying the alignment of the axis of said roller with respect to the axis of said water box.

4. In centrifugal casting apparatus having a cylindrical mold mounted in a water box and rotatably supported upon rollers in the water box, the improvement which comprises means for supporting each roller with its axis generally parallel to the axis of said water box, ad-

justing means operable from the exterior of said water box for moving said roller toward and ally parallel to the axis of said water box,.and

adjusting means operable from the exterior of said water box for moving said roller toward and away from the axis of said water box and for varying the alignment of the axis of said roller with-respect to the axis ofsaid water box. 6. l'n'apparatus for supporting a centrifugal box, the improvement which comprises a pair of bearing blocks in said water box and spaced from each other'longitudinally of the axis of said mold, a bearing pin mounted in said blocks for movement transversely of said axis, a roller frame mounted on said bearing pin for swinging movement about said'pin and having a mold supporting roller thereon. adjusting means operablev from the exterior of said water box for swinging said frame about said pin, and adjusting means operable from the exterior ofsaid water box for moving each end of said pin transversely of the axis of said mold.

9. In centrifugal casting apparatus having a cylindrical mold mounted in a water box and rotatably supported upon rollers in the water box, the improvement which comprises a bearing pin mounted in said water box for independent movement of its ends transversely of the axis of said mold, aroller frame mounted on said hearing pin for movement about the axis of said pin, a mold supporting roller on said frame,- adjusting means operable from the exterior of said water box'for moving said frame about the axis of said bearing pin, and adjusting means i mold, a pair of spaced bearing blocks, a bearing pin having its opposite ends mounted in said blocks for, adjustment of each end transversely blocks'in said water box, a bearing pin mounted in said blocks for adjustment transversely of the direction of the axis of said pin, a roller support mountedto swing on said pin, a roller carried by said support, means operable from the exterior of said water box for adjusting said toilet support about said pin, and means operable from the exterior of said water box and connected to the endsot'saidpintoadjustsaidendstransversely of the direction of theaxis of said operable. from the exterior of said water box for independently moving the ends of said bearing pin transversely of the axis of said mold.

' 10. In apparatus for adjusting a mold supsporting roller in a centrifugal casting machine, a pair of spaced bearing blocks having aligned bearing openings therein and an opening in the side of each, a bushing mounted in the bearing opening in each block for sliding movement transversely of the axis of the bearing openings in the blocks and having an opening in align ment with the opening in the side of the block, Din having its opposite ends supported in said bushings and having transverse openings there-.

--in in alignment with the openings in' said bushings and the side of said blocks, coupling members extending through the aligned. openings of said blocks and said bushings and pivotally connected in the openings in said pin-a roller supported by said pin, and means connected to said coupling members for adjusting said bushings and thereby varyin the alignment of said roller with respect to themoid. WALTER 8. ms. 

